1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure, and more particularly to a convertible type vehicle body structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the British Pat. No. 2,806,316, there is shown a convertible type vehicle body having a removably installed rigid roof panel. The roof panel is supported at the front edge by the upper edge of the front windshield panel and at the rear edge by an inverted U-shaped swingable pillar member which has a pair of leg portions pivotably mounted on the rear side panels of the vehicle body. Between the pillar member and the rear body section, there is a foldable hood which is provided with a transparent rear window.
This type of convertible vehicle body has a problem of ensuring a widest possible rear view because the size of the transparent rear window is relatively limited and the substantial part of the rear portion is covered by the non-transparent hood. This problem is solved by the U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,502 which discloses a structure including an inverted U-shaped swingable pillar as in the structure of the British patent. According to the structure proposed by the U.S. patent, it is understood that a transparent rear windshield is built in the swingable pillar structure and a substantially horizontal rear deck is provided rearwards the swingable pillar. At the opposite sides of the rear deck, there are provided substantially triangular wings which stand with the upper edges inclining downward toward rearwards so that a smooth side body contour is provided. The wings are foldable over the rear deck which is adapted to be placed over the swingable pillar after the swingable pillar is retracted rearward. The structure proposed by the U.S. patent is acceptable in respect of the rearward view, however, there is a problem in respect of the appearance. Further, the proposed structure cannot provide a smooth outer body surface so that it is disadvantageous in respect of the aerodynamic property.